Ex-councilman Robert Gilliam remembered as an Elgin statesman
Former councilman and lifelong Elginite Robert "Bob" Gilliam, the city's longest serving council member, was remembered Tuesday as a true statesman and compassionate man with a deep love for his hometown.
Gilliam, 69, died in his sleep Tuesday morning at a rehabilitation home in Mesa, Arizona, 3½ months after city hall was renamed after him, his wife Marianne said.
"It was kind of a shock," she said. "He'd been sick since Thanksgiving. He always rallied, but this time, it didn't happen. He lived a really full, good life."
The city's first black city council member, Gilliam served on the council for 40 years until he lost his re-election bid in 2013. His was the longest such tenure in Illinois outside Chicago, city officials said. He also served as commissioner of the The Housing Authority of Elgin for 25 years through 2013.
Gilliam was in a wheelchair when he attended the ceremony to name The Robert Gilliam Municipal Complex in mid-September. He disclosed he suffered a stroke and a heart attack two months prior. "I've loved Elgin my entire life," he said at the time. "Today, Elgin loved me back."
Gilliam worked hard to make it to the ceremony, attended by relatives and friends from as far as Florida, Arizona, North Carolina and more, his wife said. "I remember he said, 'What if only 50 people show up?' And it was a lot more than that. He was really pleasantly surprised," she said.
Gilliam's health had been up and down for the last six years and took a turn for the worse about two years ago, she said. Most recently, he was having mini-strokes and getting dialysis three times a week.
The couple were married for 28 years. Gilliam had two children, Soynia and Tony, from a previous marriage. He also is survived by his brother Joseph, his sister Valerie, and a grandson.
Gilliam was a sensitive, compassionate man who took in stray cats and dogs, avidly read newspapers and enjoyed Clint Eastwood movies, his wife said.
He loved to travel to Europe, especially London and Paris, and even took his wife on spur-of-the-moment long weekends to Dublin and Amsterdam.
"He wanted to travel more. Our last trip was in 2011, to Italy - the Amalfi Coast and Rome. Then he got too sick to travel," she said.
He was passionate about encouraging youths to go to college and loved Elgin with all his heart, she said.
"I can't say enough how much he loved that town," she said. "He was a good friend to many people."
Gilliam grew up on Fremont Street and graduated from Elgin High School in 1963. He retired in 2002 from working for Elgin Area School District U-46 after 34 years in a variety of capacities, including as a teacher, dean of students and assistant superintendent.
He was known for his "calm and reasoned leadership paired with a personal style that is compassionate and kind," Elgin City Manager Sean Stegall said in a news release.
He helped guide the city through the difficult decades of the 1970s and 1980s into a period of unprecedented growth and revitalization while always remaining committed to restoring the city's older neighborhoods and serving the needs of a culturally diverse community, Stegall said.
Under his leadership, the city undertook several major projects, including the construction of the police station, The Centre of Elgin, the Leo Nelson Water Treatment Facility, Festival Park and more.
"Bob's tenure as city councilman was marked by extraordinary accomplishments, all unified by the goal of making Elgin the best community for future generations to enjoy," Stegall said. "His perseverance and dedication were unmatched. I am honored to have worked under the leadership of such an incredible man."
Gilliam was a consummate leader, said District U-46 board member Traci Ellis, who knew him since age 8.
"It started as 'Mr. Gilliam, my parents' friend,' and it ended with 'Bob, my mentor and friend,'" she said. "Bob has forgotten more about leadership than most of us will ever know."
Gilliam, who was Ellis' campaign manager before she was elected in 2011, never failed to find the time to talk through problems, no matter how late at night, she said.
"We would talk about handling issues, handling difficult people, and how to be an elected official," said Ellis, who in turn served as Gilliam's campaign manager in his last run for office.
Elgin Mayor David Kaptain said Gilliam's service to the city of Elgin was unparalleled.
"Politicians come and go in a lifetime, but statesmen come along once in a lifetime," Kaptain said. "He was a statesman. For a city like ours, I think that's all you get - a statesman in a lifetime."
Gilliam was an exceptional listener who always displayed great insight, Elgin resident Bill Freiberg said. He was among a group of retirees who meet in the morning five days a week at Paul's Family Restaurant, he said.
"It's a bunch of old guys solving the world's problems, and Bob was one of them," he said. "He could just be Bob Gilliam - he didn't have to worry about (residents saying) things like, 'My garbage didn't get picked up' or 'My street didn't get done.'"
Not that he ever minded talking about those things, Marianne Gilliam said.
"He really took things to heart when people would call up and complain and have concerns," she said. "If it was important enough for somebody to call and complain, then it was important enough for him to take care of it."
Funeral arrangements are pending at Second Baptist Church of Elgin.
<h3 class="briefHead">"I've loved Elgin my entire life. Today, Elgin loved me back."</h3>
- Bob Gilliam, after the city renamed city hall in his honor in September
<h3 class="briefHead">"It was kind of a shock. He'd been sick since Thanksgiving. He always rallied, but this time, it didn't happen. He lived a really full, good life."</h3>
- Marianne Gilliam on the death of her husband, who died Tuesday in Arizona
<h3 class="briefHead">"I can't say enough how much he loved that town. He was a good friend to many people."</h3>
- Marianne Gilliam on her husband's love of Elgin
<h3 class="briefHead">"Bob's tenure as city councilman was marked by extraordinary accomplishments, all unified by the goal of making Elgin the best community for future generations to enjoy. His perseverance and dedication were unmatched. I am honored to have worked under the leadership of such an incredible man."</h3>
- Sean Stegall, Elgin city manager
<h3 class="briefHead">"It started as 'Mr. Gilliam, my parents' friend,' and it ended with 'Bob, my mentor and friend.' Bob has forgotten more about leadership than most of us will ever know."</h3>
- Traci Ellis, U-46 board member who knew Bob Gilliam since she was 8 years old
<h3 class="briefHead">"Politicians come and go in a lifetime, but statesmen come along once in a lifetime. He was a statesman. For a city like ours, I think that's all you get - a statesman in a lifetime."</h3>
- Elgin Mayor David Kaptain
<h3 class="briefHead">"It's a bunch of old guys solving the world's problems, and Bob was one of them. He could just be Bob Gilliam - he didn't have to worry about (residents saying) things like, 'My garbage didn't get picked up' or 'My street didn't get done.' "</h3>
- Elgin resident Bill Freiberg, part of a group that included Bob Gilliam, who gathered five days a week at Paul's Family Restaurant to discuss the world's problems